My Child
by Happy Sartre
Summary: Vivien and Violet move back to Boston and Vivien gives birth to a seemingly normal baby girl, Anna Beth. When they return to the Murder House, with Anna Beth in tow, Vivien runs into a familiar dark and shiny man. This time, he's not letting her get away.


A/N: AU after Halloween: Part 2.

~O~

Vivien paused in front of the gates of the Murder House, closed her eyes, and took in a deep breath. Violet stood next to her mother and rolled her eyes. Violet was holding Anna Beth, her baby sister, in her arms. The months old child stared up at the foreboding house in wonder with her jet black eyes.

"Give me Anna Beth," Vivien said.

Violet handed over her baby sister and Vivien clutched her tightly to her chest. She patted the girl's hand-knit cap, which covered her wiry black hair.

"Come on," Violet said to her mother, opening the gate and walking in. "I'm missing a college tour for this, so let's just get it over with."

Vivien followed silently, the faint taste of bile in her mouth.

"Do you think your father will be here?" she asked when they reached the door.

"What?" Violet said. "Of course not. He's in jail, and I doubt that anyone'll pay for his bail. The police will just question him there." Violet opened the door and entered the house.

"Hey, police people, we're here!" she called out.

Luke, the handsome police officer who installed Vivien's security system, entered the room and welcomed the two women.

"Hello," he said with a warm smile, "thank you so much for coming. I know this must have been hard for you."

"You have no idea…" Vivien muttered, eyeing the gruesome murals on the walls.

Violet brushed past the handsome officer and craned her neck, looking out the window.

"I see you took down the gazebo," she observed. "You seriously found Hayden's body there?"

"Yes," the officer answered, nodding solemnly, "as well as the remains from another murder. A maid, judging by the outfit."

"What? Did Dad kill Moira, too?" Violet asked, shocked.

"We aren't quite sure," he answered. "The death looks like it happened decades ago."

"Can I go see?"

"Of course," Luke said as he turned to Vivien. "Would you like to come as well? It might be helpful."

Vivien looked away, shaking her head. "No, no thank you."

"As you wish," he said, nodding understandingly. He put a hand behind Violet's right shoulder and led her outside.

Vivien walked into the living room and collapsed on the couch, feeling weary and worn out. She had hoped to never come back to the Murder House, yet here she was. Anna Beth put her tiny hands on Vivien's chest and pushed herself away, craning her neck to look around the room.

"What do you think of the house?" Vivien cooed, playing with her daughter's tiny hands. "Do you like it?"

Anna Beth smiled, exposing her gums, and giggled.

"Well you shouldn't," Vivien said flatly. "This is a bad, bad place."

As Vivien talked to her daughter, she was unaware of a second person in the room. He stood in the doorway behind Vivien, the light glinting off of his inky black skin.

He stepped silently over to the mother and her daughter. Anna Beth caught sight of the strange man and giggled again, reaching out her tiny arms to him from over her mother's shoulder.

The man looked down at Anna Beth, tilting his head slightly. He crouched down and put his index finger gently under the infant's chin, tilting her face up to his. He moved her head from side to side, examining her features.

Satisfied, the man stood up. He then focused his attention on the oblivious Vivien, who was simply staring ahead with a sad expression on her lined face.

The man picked up a lock of her hair, examining the beautiful, golden red color of it. It was like a sunset. Slowly, oh so slowly, and without touching her, he put his hands around Vivien's head. Once he latched his shining midnight fingers on her temples, she jumped a bit, but was unable to stand up. His grip was too strong, and she felt a strange force come over her, immobilizing her. Terror seized her, and a deep raspy voice resonated in her mind,

_The child._

"Wh…what is going on?" Vivien cried. "Vi—!"

The man's left hand immediately clamped over her mouth, but the other stayed her temple. Vivien wanted desperately to move, but she couldn't fight off the force that bound her to her seat.

_Our child_.

Vivien could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Oh, Lord, what was going on…?

_My child_.

Both of the man's hands moved to Vivien's throat, cutting off the air flow to her lungs and preventing her from screaming. Vivien was still unable to move, and could only pray desperately for Violet or Luke to walk in and save her. Black spots began to cloud her vision, then took over her eyes, and spread to her mind. With a final shudder, Vivien went limp.

The man let go of her, and the woman's body slumped over the arm of the couch. The man looked down at Anna Beth, who was studying the scene in front of her inquisitively. He picked her up, cradling the small child tenderly in his arms. She was not the child that he had imagined, but she quite obviously his, and he would cherish her always.

His hands moved to her fragile little neck, and before she could register any pain, he snapped it back.

The man then took Anna Beth away, leaving the mother's body in the living room for the officer and teenage girl to discover and take away. As for his daughter, he would bury her in the basement where no one could find her, and her spirit would be with him forever, just like it was supposed to be.

_Forever._

~O~

Eh, quick ending. This was based off a dream I had a few nights ago. It was like a puzzle, with Vivien and Anna Beth (who was actually a toddler) having to figure their way out through various rooms. All the rooms were haunted by a ghost, who would set up a trap, and the Rubber Man was the final room. He tricked Vivien into giving up Anna Beth, and it was rather Hades/Persephone-like. O.o I dunno. Anyway, the dream was insanely complicated and I couldn't remember it fully, so y'all get this oneshot instead.

Review, or else the Rubber Man goes after YOUR kid! D:


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